Williston City Council paid tribute to November Students of the Month at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Mayor R. Gerald Hethcoat introduced the students from each of the city’s schools and presented them with certificates of excellence and gift certificates for pizza.
Honored were:
Joyce Bullock Elementary
Maclayne McGowan, 2nd grade, the daughter of Paul and Scarlett McGowan who was nominated by her teacher Kim Milton.
In the nomination, Milton wrote, “Maclayne was nominated for many reasons. Maclayne is a role model in our classroom. She is one that always follows the ABC's of our class and our school. She is a very responsible student who always gives her best effort in class, and maintains a very high academic average. She is a joy to teach and a good friend to all the boys and girls in our class. Maclayne is very deserving of the Mayor's student of the month.
Williston Elementary School
Taylor Hughes, 5th grade, daughter of Emily Hughes who was nominated by Mrs. Palmer, her teacher, who wrote:
“Taylor exceeds in the classroom both academically and as a citizen. She is always the first person in class to raise four fingers in the air to indicate that the noise in the classroom is too loud, as well as the first student to start picking up trash on the floor at the end of the day.
“She always raises her hand when she has a question, or needs to throw something away.
“Her homework is always turned in promptly and completed thoroughly, done with the neatest handwriting. She will volunteer to stay in at recess to finish any work she has not finished, or to help me clean the classroom.
“Taylor is a joy to have in class and deserves to be the Mayor's Student of the Month.”
Williston Middle School
Emory Allnut, 6th grade, son of Stephen and Monique Allnut and nominated by the 6th grade team. The nomination read:
“The sixth grade teachers at Williston Middle School have chosen Emory Allnut to be acknowledged as Williston Middle School’s Student of the Month! This young man exemplifies model citizenship: he is kind to his classmates, has impeccable manners, and is outgoing and gregarious! He is an active member of the WMS Cross-country team and his team mates enjoy his good sportsmanship and say that he is a talented runner. Emory is fun to be around because he is so nice to others, on top of this, he is a scholar. This young man maintains straight A’s in all his classes, and he gives 100% to his academics. We are lucky to have such a great student at our school.
Williston High School
William “Max” Greenstein, 12th grade, son of Bill and Angela Greenstein and who was nominated by school principal John Lott, who wrote:
“Max is a member of the Mighty Red Devil Football team and according to Jamie Baker, Head Coach, Max never misses a practice or workout and he is one of the most dependable players on our team. This is why he plays football well above his ability level. When teams have a roster of players like Max they are the ones who win championships.
“Max is hardworking and well liked by both his peers and his teachers. We are very proud of Max and his contributions to WHS.”
Also honored was Derek Dykstra, 8th grade and son of Duane and Tina Dykstra. Derek was Student of the Month for October but could not attend.
He was nominated by the 8th grade team who made the following comments:
“The eighth grade team at Williston Middle School is proud to nominate Derek Dykstra as our Student of the Month. As Mrs. Leathers says, ‘Derek is a polite, courteous, quiet student who does well on everything he does.’
“Derek is an outstanding student who is both motivated and focused. He uses these skills as he currently is taking Algebra 1 and English 1 for high school credit. The reason he is so successful in all that he does is, he tries to do his best. As he says, “Failure is not an option with me.” Noting the importance of his parents, he says, “They expect a lot out of me.”
His favorite subjects are math and science, which will serve him well in the future. His plans include going to the University of South Florida to study marine biology. He loves being out on the water. His plans also include playing football for the Bulls. He presently plays on the WMS football team.
For fun, Derek likes to do many outdoor things, including swimming. Playing football and hanging out with his friends are high on his list of things he enjoys. He also likes to read. His favorite book is Where the Red Fern Grows

Carolyn Ten Broeck

Students of the Month honored by Williston City Council are, front from left, Maclayne McGowan and Taylor Hughes. Back, Max Greenstein, Emory Allnut, Derek Dykstra and Mayor Hethcoat.